Chicago rapper takes heat for apparent video fight with woman

Published: Friday, Oct. 26, 2012 9:27 a.m. CST

By Jeremy Gorner — Chicago Tribune

(MCT) — CHICAGO—A South Side rapper who posted taunting tweets about the fatal shooting of aspiring rapper Lil Jojo is under fire again after video footage of him purportedly beating a young woman went viral.

The grainy camera video that shows rapper Lil Reese attacking the unidentified woman was posted late Wednesday on various hip-hop websites and drew outrage from thousands of followers on Twitter. Lil Reese recently signed with Def Jam Recordings, a major music label whose clients include Rihanna and Ludacris.

The slaying of 18-year-old Lil Jojo, who real name was Joseph Coleman, garnered national attention following reports that police were looking into whether a war of words in the Chicago hip-hop community played a part in the shooting last month. He was gunned down on a bicycle in the Englewood neighborhood.

Across social media before Lil Jojo’s murder, tension was evident between him and Lil Reese and his allies, including rap sensation Chief Keef. On Twitter and in a series of rap videos on You Tube, the two sides were seen “dissing” one another. One video claiming to have been created shortly before the slaying purportedly showed Lil Reese threatening to kill Lil Jojo.

The latest video, which lasts a slightly more than a minute, shows Lil Reese entering a residence and arguing with a young woman. The two then get into a physical altercation.

Police also have been investigating if multiple shootings after Lil Jojo’s slaying were linked, according to law enforcement sources. Police believe his death could also have been part of an ongoing dispute between factions of the Black Disciples and the Gangster Disciples.